In arthroscopic surgical procedures, for example arthroscopic procedures in the joint space of a human shoulder, anchors are often implanted to secure a graft or a synthetic endoprosthesis, such as a patch, to a bone. To accomplish this, sutures are often fixedly connected to the anchors, after having been threaded through at least the graft or the endoprosthesis. At the end of the procedure, the free tails of these sutures need to be cut because they constitute foreign bodies in the joint space.
Existing arthroscopic devices for cutting suture typically require a high level of skill and dexterity, particularly in arthroscopic use, in order to avoid only partially cutting the sutures. Existing devices also typically leave a significant length of suture in place after cutting, which often protrude from a bone hole and present an abrasion material in the tightly spaced bone joint, and which can decrease the quality of the outcome of the arthroscopic procedure.